Private bus owners threatens to strike if Sri Lanka state bus fleet increased

The All Ceylon Private Bus Owners Federation of Sri Lanka says thy would launch an island wide strike if the Transport Ministry tries to increase the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus fleet by a large number.



The Federation says there is already a surplus of buses in the country and that Transport Minister Kumara Welgama is preparing to present a Cabinet paper to add more busses to the SLTB fleet in such a backdrop.

Secretary of the Federation, Anjana Priyanjith has said that private bus operators would commence an island wide strike if the Cabinet of Ministers approves the move.

He has explained that the Private Transport Minister was in the process of preparing a time table for the busses in the country and the importation of more busses by the SLTB would hamper the time table.

According to Priyanjith, unlike in the past, the private busses also controlled a good market share in the transport sector.